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    The Impossible Dead
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    The Impossible Dead
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    The Impossible Dead
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Impossible Dead

    Written by Ian Rankin

    Narrated by Peter Forbes

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The Complaints: that's the name given to the Internal Affairs department who seek out dirty and compromised cops, the ones who've made deals with the devil. And sometimes The Complaints must travel.

    A major inquiry into a neighboring police force sees Malcolm Fox and his colleagues cast adrift, unsure of territory, protocol, or who they can trust. An entire station-house looks to have been compromised, but as Fox digs deeper he finds the trail leads him back in time to the suicide of a prominent politician and activist. There are secrets buried in the past, and reputations on the line.

    In his newest pulse-pounding thriller, Ian Rankin holds up a mirror to an age of fear and paranoia, and shows us something of our own lives reflected there.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateNov 21, 2011
    ISBN9781611139754
    Unavailable
    The Impossible Dead
    Author

    Ian Rankin

    Ian Rankin is the worldwide #1 bestselling writer of the Inspector Rebus books, including Knots and Crosses, Let It Bleed, Black and Blue, Set in Darkness, Resurrection Men, A Question of Blood, The Falls and Exit Music. He is also the author of The Complaints and Doors Open. He has won an Edgar Award, a Gold Dagger for fiction, a Diamond Dagger for career excellence, and the Chandler-Fulbright Award. He has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow, and received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to literature. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982. He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with his wife and their two sons.

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    Reviews for The Impossible Dead

    4/5

    19 ratings18 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Second books in a series are hard to write, yet Ian Rankin makes it look effortless. Fox is an interesting central character divorced, at odds with his sister and worried about his failing father, his personal life is solitary, but he’s not isolated as he has an amazing rapport with his team, Tony Kaye and Joe Naysmith, one that feels genuine rather than the uniting of individuals in a difficult job. Fox is another driven policeman, determined to discover the truth and undercover corruption both within the force and outside.His latest investigation, a murder connected to the conviction of Detective Paul Carter for misconduct – Fox and his team are investigating whether any other officers in his station are implicated in the case – takes him back to the dark days of 1985 and the dark side of the separatist movement sending letter bombs and anthrax to government offices where the death of a prominent separatist lawyer was assumed to be suicide, but just might be murder.The story is brilliantly paced as Fox slowly makes his way to the shocking truth. A superb read.
    • 3/5
      This is the second book in Ian Rankin's new series, in which the protagonist Malcolm Fox is with Scotland's version of Police Internal Affairs. But of course the internal investigation grows more complex that it seemed at first. Malcolm Fox is growing on me, with his ailing father and troubled sister.
    • 5/5
      It says something about my opinion of Rankin's novels when I give The Impossible Dead 4.5 stars out of 5. The plot is good without being particularly memorable; the main character is interesting and well developed, but he ain't Rebus; and there's no Rebus.Yet, I loved reading The Impossible Dead. It's the style, it's the characters, it's the dialogue, it's Edinburgh as a setting (or in this case, Fife) - it's everything that a Rankin book promises and always delivers.Sure, Malcolm Fox is not as entertaining as Rebus, not as driven, and even when he's tackling a case head on, you almost get the feeling that he'd just as easily give in as never let go.But that just adds to the landscape of Edinburgh that Rankin has created - and I can't wait to see Fox and Rebus battle it out in the next one!
    • 3/5
      Second in Rankin's new series following Malcolm Fox. Great dialogue, knotty plot, believable characters.
    • 4/5
      Malcom Fox, complaints and cold cases in Fife
    • 5/5
      I like a good crime thriller, as a form of relaxation, but I cannot abide those books which have clearly been written by someone who thinks that the genre is easy. Ian Rankin takes as much care about his books as the most pernicity professor writing the definitive history of the ancient Greeks.Having taken DI Rebus as far as he wanted, Rankin began a new series of books based upon the Police Complaints Division. He provides us with a trilogy of detectives; Malcolm Fox, Tony Kaye and Joe Naysmith. They are each given a character and act according to it - a nice change from lesser authors whose hero fluctuates more than the New Scotland Yard sign in a gale. The characters develop, gradually, as one reads, rather than receiving a briefing at the beginning of the first book and then, the job done, they either roam like robots, or totally ignore their character report. These may be the distillation of real people, but they are eminently believable.The story is a little less plausible than the characters but, does one really want to read true to life? In my case, no: this is escapism and, whilst it may not be the story on the front page of a newspaper, the tale holds credibility within its own domain. Characters are not parachuted in at the last minute to allow the story to work and there are clues in the text as to who the arch villain might be, far in advance of the final chapter, when I began to see the light. The book gets into its stride promptly, but does not follow the annoying modern trait of throwing the reader into the story half way through, with flash backs and a thousand other predictable tricks to bring one up to speed. As one would expect from Ian Rankin, it is well written. I did not come across any grammatical errors and Rankin uses language respectfully: he does not feel the need to show off by using an obscure word when a more straight forward one would suffice and yet, he will not shy away from a back water of the OED, if it is necessary.This book is entirely up to the high standard that I expect, each time I pick up an Ian Rankin book. It kept me riveted from page one until the last full stop and receives my highest recommendation.
    • 4/5
      Malcolm Fox and his Professional Standards team are sent across the bridge to Fife to investigate a possible cover-up, but when one of the original claimants ends up dead, Fox delves deeper and realizes that current events may hark back to the mid-80s when Scottish Nationalism had a brief fling with terrorism. Prepare for loads of storylines in this book; large topics like corruption, infiltration, terrorism, and counter-intelligence gets juxtapositioned with personal issues like Fox's having to face his father's illness and to deal with his strained relationship with his sister. While it does make for a much slower read that would be "normal" for a Rankin novel, I don't think the story suffered too much for it. I do have a special interest in the topic (having been a member of the SNP in my proverbially sweet youth), but I think the history, the characters, and Rankin's mastery of dialogue will make this interesting to any reader. Let's be honest, Fox is no Rebus, but once you get over that, his (sometimes) subtle approach to ascertaining the truth is quite engaging.
    • 4/5
      As members of the Professional Standards team, Inspector Malcolm Fox and his team are in Fife, looking into possible misconduct in the force there. When an ex-copper is found dead, Fox becomes aware that he had been looking into an old case - the death of a political activist which at the time had been classed as a suicide. Now Fox and his team have two cases on their hands.
    • 5/5
      When Rankin introduced Malcolm Fox who works in the Dark Side of the Complaints and Conduct section of Edinburgh's Lothian and Borders Police HQ in THE COMPLAINTS we all wondered whether he was going to replace John Rebus, forcibly retired. The answer I think is that he is a very different character but no less a detective, very largely also a lone wolf, but also more careful to cover his back than Rebus was.The title of Fox's team has been changed from "Complaints and Conduct" to "Professional Ethics and Standards" but their mission is the same: to investigate claims of police corruption. And when they turn up at a police station they are about as popular as lepers: the boss is at head office, no secure interview room available, people to be interviewed are off sick with lingering illnesses or they are so involved in a current case that they can't spare the time. The air of suspicion and opposition is thick and palpable.So Fox decides to interview the person who originally laid the complaint about his own nephew: a former police officer who now runs his own successful security firm, and lives in a difficult to find cottage well out of town. Fox interviews him and finds Alan Carter is investigating the death of a political leader, Francis Vernal, nearly twenty years earlier. Strictly speaking the investigation that erupts when Alan Carter is found murdered and his nephew is taken in for questioning should not be of interest to the Complaints, but Fox can't help thinking there must be connections. His interest is further spiked when he finds a picture of his own uncle with Francis Vernal.This is a carefully layered and constructed tale. We learn more about Malcolm Fox's family and his background, and his relationships with the rest of his team. And it is certainly well written.I have seen reviews whether bloggers have said they prefer the first in the series, THE COMPLAINTS, but I think I enjoyed THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD as much.
    • 4/5
      I really like Malcolm Fox, the protagonist of Ian Rankin's new detective series. In the second book, Fox and his partners have been sent to Fife, where a police officer's misconduct has led to an investigation as to whether his fellow officers covered for him. They're not greeted warmly; not only are they "the Complaints", who investigate allegations against the police, but they're from out of town as well. Their investigation begins to spread out, as they look back at the actions of the convicted officer and then Fox is drawn farther back in time, to the 1980's, when Scottish nationalism took a violent and anarchic turn and a nationalist is found dead. Fox is a fantastic character and if I weren't worried about possibility of an outcry, I might even say that I'm beginning to like him more than Rebus, at least the later, angrier Rebus. He doesn't have Rebus's style, connections or in-your-face working methods, but he does have a problematic family; a father whose health is declining and a difficult and prickly sister. He's fought his own demons and does what he can to keep the peace. The rest of his small team are also interesting. Tony Kaye is burly and prone to belligerence, but deeply loyal to and concerned about Fox's well-being. Joe Naysmith is the new guy, the tech guy, fielding Kaye's constant needling and eager to learn. I'm eagerly waiting to find out what they'll be up to ne
    • 4/5
      Malcolm Fox isn't John Rebus but he shares certain traits, like pursuing a case even when he is warned to drop it and working all hours of the day and some of the night. He hasn't grown on me the way Rebus did but then we've only had two books together. I'm still working my way through the Rebus opus which numbers at least 18, depending on what you count. Maybe I'll become as fond of Foxy as I did of Rebus. It would help if he would play some music that I could relate to.Foxy and his crew from Scotland's version of Internal Affairs head out of Edinburgh in this event. A police officer in Fife has been found guilty of misconduct and the Complaints crew have to sort out if his buddies covered up for him. When Fox interviews the person who started the misconduct investigation going, the police officer's uncle, he seems well and happy. Shortly thereafter the uncle is found dead and his nephew, who was out on bail, was the last person called from his phone. The uncle's death was made to look like a suicide but it is soon obvious it was murder. Fox starts looking at the 1985 death of a separatist firebrand which the uncle was also investigating. Fox suspects that the nephew was framed for his uncle's death and it was actually this decades old crime that was the reason for his murder. The investigation starts leading to some interesting people who may not want their past to become common knowledge.I was disappointed that we never learn what happened to the old Border Collie owned by the uncle. He was taken in by the uncle's friend but it would have been nice to learn how he was coping with the death (which he witnessed). My Gypsy is probably about the same age as the one in the book and I think she would be very upset if she saw me killed in front of her. Still, it is a small point and not one that would occur to many people I think.I hope to see more of Foxy but I wouldn't rule out a reappearance by Rebus. Hint, hint!
    • 4/5
      Since Rankin quit writing the Reebus series his books have been kind of hit and miss. This one reverses that trend. In "Impossible Dead" Rankin demonstrates just what a gifted writer he is. Nothing about this book feels like work. It conveys a tale that involves Scottish Nationalists, crooked cops, hidden identities and three new character that will pique your interest. I strongly recommend it. Welcome back Mr Rankin
    • 4/5
      I'm not a big political animal and when I saw that the plot revolved around anarchy, terrorism and Scottish national politics, I wasn't sure I would enjoy this book, especially since Rankin can have some pretty slow moving plots. He seems to be doing well with his Complaints series though, because I thought much the same of the first one and loved it - it was also the case with this one. Fox, as a character, isn't particularly endearing, nor unique as a hard-boiled detective - I do like his moral, upstanding fibre, which is what makes the Complaints so interesting to me. There are quite a few characters to wade through, but the story itself is a clever mix of politics, personal vendettas and gain, with quite a bit of corruption to boot. Despite this cast, the plot is easy to follow and the twists aren't so outlandish that they destroy credibility. I liked the mix of past events to current angst: a neat way of linking the eras and making them relevant. Endings are always a stretch and I was surprised at Fox's naivete, but the concluding pages set him again as who he is: a vulnerable man doing his best to honour his family and country. Sounds cheesy, but it works!
    • 4/5
      Another great read from Ian Rankin. Malcolm Fox, appearing here in his second book, is an excellent character. This promises to be a great series, and I hope Rankin continues it. Fox is less dark and defeated than Rebus, but he's from the same tree. He is a dogged investigator, something of a loner, and a workaholic prone to getting in trouble with higher-ups. He also reminds me of Henning Mankell's Wallander, although much less grim.Rankin is such a good writer, so deft with plot and pacing, that his books flow effortlessly. If you haven't read him, this is a great place to start. If you already like him, you'll love this latest work.
    • 5/5
      Malcolm Fox is interesting character. Good story. Difficult to put down. I think this series will improve as you get to know some of the other characters better.
    • 4/5
      I get the impression that Ian Rankin isn't quite happy with Malcolm Fox, his new recurring character, yet. However, this series certainly seems to be developing well, and after the rather shaky start to his post-Rebus oeuvre that "Doors Open" offered, Rankin seems to be back on track.Fox is more orthodox and generally conformist that Rebus but he does have his demons - we infer that he might be a recovering alcoholic - and personal problems to contend with (principally in the shape of an ailing father and an unbalanced sister).As ever with Rankin the plot is wholly engrossing while one is reading it. Looking back now I wonder whether the level of coincidence was just too implausible, but at the time I was wholly sold on it. I am already lookin forward to the next in the series.
    • 4/5
      The second book in Rankin's "Complaints" series, this follows the author's tried and tested formula: a detective (albeit one charged with investigating other police and thus resented by many of his peers) who is something of an outsider, certainly independent of mind, gets a new case, then truly gets the bit between his teeth and discovers there is far more to the story than he'd imagined. Rankin has set the background to the case amongst the fringe terrorist Scottish nationalist groups of the 1980s, which adds additional interest. Altogether, though formulaic, a good read, even if it lacks some of the grittiness of the Rebus books.
    • 4/5
      Probably not a good idea to frame people.